


Little Ghost

by gxrlsclub



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Dreaming, Ghost Louis, M/M, ghost au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-21
Updated: 2014-06-21
Packaged: 2018-02-05 11:04:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1816282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gxrlsclub/pseuds/gxrlsclub
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He'd seen it in movies, but those were fictitious. It didn't happen to 18 year old boys like him. It just didn't. So how could he be a visitor in the afterlife? Either you're dead or you aren't. Louis was dead. Niall wasn't. It didn't make sense." </p><p>When 18 year old Niall meets a little ghost named Louis, his life begins to change in ways he never thought possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If I'm Louder, Would You See Me?

The clock on his night stand read 2:34 in bright red numbers. He hadn't even been asleep two hours and now Niall lay awake in a puddle of sweat, staring at the ceiling. Ever since he was a little kid he had had problems with nightmares. They were on and off, but when they hit they hit hard. He could go seven months without having one, and when they returned, have six in a row. Sometimes less, but six was his record that he wasn't looking to beat. 

It was something he had never quite gotten used to and despite all the steps they had taken to try and prevent them, they were incurable. No medicine, witch doctor, or remedy his mother came across on the internet, could rid Niall of these dreams, and as he got older they had only been getting worse. 

"Fuck." Niall muttered. He stood up, and with shaking hands began to strip his bed of the sweat soaked sheets. 

Tonight he had a dream that was one of the more frequently reoccurring. He and his family were living in a dystopian future where a deadly virus was sweeping across the world and killing everything in its path. It was quite morbid, and it rocked Niall to the core every single time. 

He threw his sheets into a corner of his room and they landed with a thud next to the laundry hamper. He lay back down on the bare, scratchy mattress and rubbed the tears from his eyes. Niall tried to direct his attention elsewhere while practicing the breathing exercises he'd been taught to calm himself down. He had a paper due tomorrow, football practice after school, and a birthday dinner for his brother that evening. It was bound to be a busy day and at this rate he was going to be tackling it with next to no sleep. 

Niall let his mind relax as he thought about football drills and birthday cards as he drifted further and further into his own mind until it was swallowed in darkness and he lay asleep once again. 

****

5:09 shined across the clock the next time his eyes crept open. He blinked slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. Why was he awake? The rest of his house was quiet and still remained sound asleep. Only the sound of a ticking clock from down the hall could be heard amidst the stillness. He definitely hadn't been awoken by a bad dream this time, but perhaps by the unusual draft he felt sweep across his room as he gathered his thoughts. It had felt abnormally cold when he had awoken this time, which was unusual because his mother tried very hard to maintain a stable temperature in his bedroom.

Groggily, Niall sat up and flicked on the lamp that sat on his bedside table. He ran his fingers through his dirty blonde mess of hair and let out a yawn. A cold shudder compelled him to bring his feet to the floor and make his way toward his closet; careful to avoid bumping into objects that littered his bedroom floor. He pulled open the closet door and retrieved a heavy blanket from the pile his mother had left for him. "The colder you are when you sleep, the better chance you'll have a nightmare." Was something she had sworn by ever since she read it online; and given Nialls condition, she was in no position to leave anything to chance. He wrapped himself tightly in the wool blanket and nudged the door closed again with his hip. Niall spun back around and made his way back toward his bed, only to stop dead in his tracks after two steps.

There on his bed, he saw himself. Sprawled out on his back; chest rising and falling slowly, sleeping soundly as a baby. 

"Look at you!!" came a little voice from beside him. Niall jumped nearly two feet in the air. "You look so peaceful!" 

With the shock of seeing, well, himself, asleep on his bed, he hadn't even noticed the smaller dark haired boy that had taken his side. Niall scanned him up and down while slowly backing himself closer toward the closet door until he could feel the doorknob digging into his back. The stranger was pointing at the sleeping Niall with an excited look plastered across his face. 

"Who in the - What in th - Wha -" Niall stammered, his voice growing louder and more panicked with every word. 

The other boy giggled.

"Welllllllll..." He started. "In answer to "who in the-," my name is Louis! Louis Tomlinson actually!" he smiled very widely. "As for "what in th-," you must be projecting! I think. I mean, you're not dead. You're clearly over there breathing. So you must just be projecting. Have you ever heard of that? Astral projection? I've only ever seen it happen once before!!" He clapped his hands together and brought them to his face excitedly. "You're here! You can see me!"

Niall darted away from Louis and took to the side of his bed; clutching his bedpost so tightly his knuckles were beginning to turn white. His eyes were blown wide with fear, but he hadn't taken them off Louis'. Louis had big eyes. Big blue eyes that were surrounded by long, dark eyelashes. Never before had Niall seen someone with eyes quite like that. If he wasn't so petrified, he might've been amazed. 

"No. I haven't heard of it." Niall answered hesitantly. "Who are you?" 

"I already told you my name!" Louis answered. He put his hands on his hips and furrowed his brow. "Why are you being so rude?" 

Niall released his grip on the bed post and adjusted his t-shirt. "I-uh. I didn't ask your name." Niall replied, his voice getting louder. "I asked, who the hell are you?" 

"I don't undesta-"

"WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" Niall shouted, charging toward Louis. Louis cowered away from him and Niall noticed there were tears welling up in his eyes. He was immediately taken aback by an overwhelming sense of guilt. Eyes that beautiful shouldn't ever cry.

"Hey, stop that. I'm sorry. But this is a lot to take in alright? This is the weirdest dream I've ever had."

Louis wiped his eyes. "This isn't a dream, I told you. Your having an out of body experience. It's actually quite exciting if you would just relax."

Niall turned around and walked back over toward his bed, rubbing his temples. Louis stood behind him, tapping his foot peevishly.

"Get out of here." He said softly. looking back at Louis. "I don't want to do this okay? I want to wake up now." Niall reached down to his sleeping body and grabbed it by the shoulders, shaking vigorously. "Wake up, Niall! Wake up!" He shouted.

Louis' jaw dropped open and the look of annoyance was replaced with one of pure admiration. He had noticed Niall was tall, and quite good looking; even despite being a total asshole. But the way the dim light was illuminating his features at this particular moment made Louis go weak in the knees.

"You don't have to go-" he said softly, but Niall was already returning into his sleeping body.

***** 

Niall's eyes flew open as he thrashed about in his bed. "Wake up, wake up, wake up." he was mumbling to himself. He shot upright and clung tightly to the blanket he'd previously retrieved during the night. He sat as still as a statue as his eyes scanned around his bedroom. The small boy was gone, and there was no sign at all indicating he had ever even been there before. The clock read 7:29. A soft knock came at his bedroom door.

"Niall honey," It was his mother. "It's time to get up now, love. Don't forget to call Greg. We're off to school in an hour, alright?" 

"Alright." he replied slipping out of bed and over to his computer. He had hoped she hadn't heard all the commotion, but judging by her lack of concern this morning, he was guessing she hadn't. He pulled up Google and typed "Astral projection" into the search bar.

Niall clicked on the first link. 

"Astral projection (or astral travel) is an interpretation of out-of-body experience (OBE) that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of travelling outside it." read the article. "Astral projection or travel denotes the astral body leaving the physical body to travel in an astral plane. The idea of astral travel is rooted in common worldwide religious accounts of the afterlife"

He read the article over and over again in his head, and then aloud to himself. "Impossible." he breathed, shutting off the monitor. "Impossible, impossible, impossible." 

**** 

Trying to get through the day as though nothing had happened was proving itself to be impossible. Everything he tried to accomplish was interrupted due to lack of focus from playing Louis's words over and over again in his mind. More specifically; "You're here! You can see me!" whatever that meant. The possibility of it all being merely an extremely detailed dream was there, but it seemed unlikely. Even so, he tried to put on a brave face. At least until he got home.

He'd walked home from school that day, in hopes of clearing his mind and shaking unsettling feelings that was barring down on him. He stopped into the drugstore to pick out a birthday card for his brother, and after what seemed like an eternity, found the perfect one. A blank card that read nothing but "4 out of 5 people get money in their birthday cards. Happy birthday #5; in boring black print. He threw in a package of chewing gum and was rang through the till by Paul, an old friend of the family's. 

"Ya look tired little one." The cashier said. "You gettin much sleep these days?" 

Niall shook his head no. 

"Me either, Doris just had a baby y'know." He half listened to Paul drone on and on about his boring life and his boring baby until he heard something that caught his attention. "Before she went into labor, she was reading this article about your house. You know how she is, big into supernatural stuff, kinda creepy. Anyways, she read a story about a boy who hung himself there just before Christmas somethin like 20 years ago. She wants to get your mom a meeting with a medium for her birthday this year, d'ya think she would like that? I think it's weird. Hell, I wonder if that's got anything to do with your lack of sleep" He winked and let out a chuckle.

Nialls heart nearly stopped in his chest as his eyes shot up to meet Paul's. He must've noticed he made Niall uncomfortable because he quickly changed the subject. 

"Anyways lad heres yer change. Tell Greggy I say happy birthday alright?"

He grabbed his bag and shot Paul a wave, hurrying out of the store. He walked fast the whole way home in utter disbelief. 

*****

"Niall, buddy, are you listening?" Greg asked over cake that evening. He raised an eyebrow. Niall snapped back to reality and realized he had been zoned out. He was pushing the dessert around his plate rather than eating it. Unusual for him because he never refused cake. Or any dessert for that matter. 

"Sorry, what?" he asked quietly.

"I asked if you knew the score in the game last night? I didn't watch."

"Oh, uh. 3-2 Derby yeah. They won." Niall replied, bringing a mangled piece of cake up to his mouth.

"Are you alright, love?" His mum interrupted. 

"Who scored?" his brother continued. Niall felt sick to his stomach.

"I don't know Greg, you have a computer, Google it. Mum, can I be excused? Don't feel good." 

"Oh, okay honey. But -" He didn't wait for her to finish. Niall stood up from the chair and headed toward the kitchen. "Paul says Happy Birthday" he shot over his shoulder and dumped his plate in the sink. Taking the stairs two at a time, he returned to his room and started up his computer again. Niall couldn't take it anymore, he needed answers. 

He sat infront of his computer a long time before he could muster up the courage to see anything for himself. What if the boy he'd seen was a ghost? Why hadn't Niall seen him sooner? Why was he still in the house? He had so many questions for Louis, but first he needed to confirm Paul's story.

"Louis Tomlinson" he typed slowly into the search bar. A number of news articles popped up, and again, Niall clicked the first one .

"BOY FOUND DEAD IN MANCHESTER HOME" read the headline. He felt his stomach drop a little.

"December, 1989. A 19 year old boy was found dead in his home only a few days prior to Christmas Day. Police said Tomlinson was found hanging in his closet. There is still no explanation as to why he took his life, but his family is encouraging anyone with any information to step forward."

Beside the article was a picture of the deceased boy who had died less than 10 feet from where Niall was sitting. The same boy who had been standing within arms length of him less than 24 hours ago. Looking very much alive.

Niall felt as though his stomach was going to drop out of his ass at this point. It was true, what Paul's wife had said. He stared at the headline a long time before switching off his monitor once again. He slumped down into his desk chair, staring at his closet and trying to take it all in. "I saw a ghost." was the only thought replaying itself over and over in his mind. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. None of this was real, it couldn't be. The only way to know for sure was to talk to Louis.

11:27 read his clock and he felt his eyelids growing heavy. 


	2. Written In These Walls Are The Stories That I Can't Explain

5:09, flashed on the clock. Fuck, Niall had fallen asleep in his desk chair. He did that sometimes, one minute he would be surfing the internet and the next he'd be waking up in the middle of the night with a neck cramp and a bad mood. Falling asleep suddenly was one of the long term side effects of a medication he was put on a few years back. It forced him to fall asleep before his subconscious had time to prepare itself to dream. Not that it ever worked. 

Niall hated falling asleep anywhere else but his bed. On top of that, he especially hated falling asleep wearing jeans. So far tonight he was 2/2. His back had become incredibly sore from half slouching for so long, and his jeans were more uncomfortable than ever. But no nightmares, so that was good.

He stood up and began unbuttoning his jeans when he heard a familiar giggle come from the direction his bed was in. He stopped dead and pressed his eyes together tightly. 

"You don't have to be afraid of me.." came Louis's small voice. "I'm not going to hurt you or anything. You're a lot bigger than me anyways. I couldn't even if I wanted to." 

Niall was already pissed off and his patience was running low. Especially his patience for little ghosts who kept sneaking into his room and scaring the daylights out of him. He looked over and saw Louis sitting on the edge of his bed, ankles crossed, hands in lap, looking slightly annoyed. This ticked Niall off even more. If anyone was to be annoyed, it was him. This was his room, his dream.

"I'm not scared of you." Niall said sternly. "I am irritated. Why do you insist on visiting me in my dreams when I've made it pretty clear I'd rather not be around you?"

A pang of hurt shot through Louis's body. He crossed his arms and sat up a little straighter.

"Excuse YOU." he said, rolling his eyes. "This isn't a dream, alright? This is the afterlife. Kinda. You are a temporary visitor in my realm. If you don't want to be around me, stop coming here."

Niall stood up straight and blinked his eyes open at Louis. He looked so small sitting there on Nialls queen sized bed. 

Being able to achieve astral projection wasn't something Niall had ever thought about before. He'd seen it in movies, but those were fictitious; it didn't happen to 18 year old boys like him. It just didn't. How could you be a visitor in the afterlife? Either you're dead or you aren't. Louis was dead. Niall wasn't. So it didn't make sense to him that they were meeting here in this unfamiliar realm. 

"I-I don't know how to stop coming here." Niall explained. "I fall asleep and then I wake up here. Sorta. I'm not awake, but I am? I guess?" He looked down at his sleeping body slumped in the chair. God that looked uncomfortable.

"Well that's your problem then innit?" Louis shot back. Niall began to feel panicked and his breathing got noticeably heavier. "Oh bloody hell." Louis continued. "Put your pants back on and come sit over here." He patted the bed beside him.

Niall looked down and his face flushed red with embarrassment. He had forgotten he was in the midst of getting changed, and his jeans were down to his knees. He snuck a finger in each of the front belt loops and hiked his pants back up, leaving the top unbuttoned. His feet felt cold against the ground as he hesitantly made his way over to the bed and plopped down a few feet away from Louis. 

"I don't know how to stop coming here either." Louis admitted shyly. "I've been coming here for years. I still haven't moved on." He looked over at Niall. The light of the moon had caught his face in all the right places, and he was breathtakingly gorgeous. 

Nialls breath caught in his throat as he looked on at Louis who was sitting there, practically glowing in his direction. He had sharp cheekbones, the kind you'd see on a movie star. His tousled brown hair hair fell perfectly across his forehead. And his eyes, the thing that had caught Nialls attention from the first time he'd seen him, were bluer than any sky he had ever encountered. And despite being dead, they had had a certain undefinable sparkle to them. Alluring and sensual, with a touch of mischief. 

Oh god he had been staring. Niall quickly composed himself upon realization, but Louis didn't seem to mind. He just sat there blushing bright red, not saying a word. 

Niall coughed, changing the subject abruptly. "What do you mean, moved on?" he spoke carefully. 

"I shouldn't have said anything." Louis replied quickly. "I don't really want to talk about it. I'm just like you. Temporary visitor in the afterlife, waiting to wake up and get on with my life." he shuffled uncomfortably where he was sitting. 

"But you can't...wake up, Louis. You're dead? I Googled you, you're died. Are you a ghost?" The air around the two boys fell colder, and the warm feeling of contentment the two boys had shared was gone instantly.

Louis felt his body become hot with rage. The sparkle his eyes once held so preciously had vanished, and the atmosphere fell dull and grey. Negative vibrations pulsated through the air with such force, Niall felt lightheaded. Louis shot up from the bed and swung at the lamp on Nialls bedside table, knocking it to the ground as he stormed to the opposite side of the room and stood facing the wall.

"Don't you dare say that to me." Louis warned, voice low and deeper than usual. "You don't know me. You know nothing about me. Don't you dare act like you do, not even for a second." he slammed a small fist against the wall. 

Niall sat completely still, frozen with fear. He had never seen someone so angry, especially not because of something he'd done. 

"Louis I'm sorry, I really am-"

"Just stop. You should go now." Louis interrupted, unusually calm. 

Before Niall had even a chance to respond, he was involuntarily moving back toward his physical body that was still sleeping peacefully on the chair. 

"Louis no, please, stop it!" He pleaded. "I'm sorry I-"

****

Niall awoke on the chair, squirming about frantically. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he repeated until his eyes shot open. He had broken into a cold sweat and his t-shirt was completely drenched and stuck to every curve of his upper body. He looked around the room. The clock read 7:29, and positioned next to it was his lamp that appeared untouched. No sign of Louis, again. His mother knocked on his door. 

"Niaaaalllll" she sang. "Rise and shine! Don't forget you have an appointment with Dr. Lillian today after school. We're off to school in an hour alright?" 

Dr. Lillian was Nialls therapist. He met with her once a week, and since today was the day, that meant it was Friday. He breathed out a sigh of relief. This week had been long enough. A weekend was much needed at this point. He grabbed a towel from the hamper and made his way into the washroom.

Niall peeled the sticky shirt from his body, removed his jeans and drawers and turned the shower dial to expel a stream of refreshingly hot water. He was half hoping he'd pull back the curtain and see Louis standing there waiting for him. No such luck. Louis was all he could think about, though. Niall wondered if the features underneath his clothing were anything as stunning as his face; and if so, he'd like to find out for himself. He reached for the dial and turned the water colder.

****

Niall had gone through the day as if it was any other, and after the final school bell of the day rang, he made his way to the bus stop to board bus 49. Bus 49 was the bus that was to take him to Dr. Lillians office. He'd been going to see her for 5 years now and she had began to felt like more of a friend than a therapist. As the bus bounced down the main road of his town and past the shops, he wondered if he should tell her about his experience with projection. It gave Niall a superhuman feeling that he thrived off of. This didn't happen to just anyone. It was surreal but fascinating and a hell of a lot better than nightmares. He figured Dr. Lillian would be pleased to hear that. 

He got off the bus at his stop, and walked up the giant cement stairs to Dr. Lillians building. He typed her code into the speaker and it rang 3 times before she answered.

"Dr. Lillian's office!" came the female voice from the speaker. 

"Hey Lil, it's Niall." Niall was 13 when he started coming here. The thought of having to go to a therapist at 13 was revolting, so she allowed him to call her Lil, to make him feel more comfortable. The nickname just kind of stuck.

"Hi, Niall." She buzzed him in. 

By the time he got up to her office, a regular 3 o'clock patient named Mr. O'Donnell was leaving. He was in hysterics and pushed past Niall on his way out without saying a word. Lil was standing in the doorway.

"What's up with him?" He asked, looking back over his shoulder to make sure Mr. O'Donnell got in the elevator alright.

"Confidential. Let's just say things haven't really been working out in his favor lately." Lil replied as she headed back into her office, pulling out a chair for Niall to sit on. 

He slumped down casually but tensed up upon being reminded just how much his back hurt from his uncomfortable sleep the night before. He scanned his eyes around the bright white room, before focusing them on the daily joke calendar she had propped up on her desk.

"What do you call a fly without wings?" he read aloud. "A walk. That is just awful. These get worse every week." 

"Your mother bought me that calendar, take it up with her." She flipped to a blank piece of notebook paper specifically for Nialls session. "How was your week, kid?"

"It was, uh, good." he responded. "Greg's birthday yesterday."

"Ah, that's great!" She hadn't taken any notes yet. "Did you celebrate? Have cake and whatnot?"

"Yeah, we did." Niall thought about that entire day again. How stressful it was made his skin crawl.

"What about nightmares? Did you have any of those?" she met his gaze.

"I did. Only one though." He looked away. "On Wednesday night. It was alright though. The sickness in the future one. I did my breathing stuff and it was alright."

"Good, I'm glad you remembered to do that." She wrote something down. "Have you had any other dreams this week? Good ones or anything?" She asked without taking her eyes from the paper. Lil asked him this question every week, even though he always had the same answer. No. If there was no nightmares, there was nothing. It was like having a TV and and only one channel. 

Now would be a good time to bring it up, he thought. He was excited, he had to tell someone. 

"Lil, have you ever heard of astral projection?" He asked slowly, looking at his lap.

She looked up and him and cocked an eyebrow. "I've seen it in movies." she said. "Why do you ask?" 

His heart rate picked up and he could feel himself getting nervous. "Well, I think, I mean, if its even a real thing, I think it might have happened to me." He raised his head slowly to meet her gaze again, a smile crept across his lips.

"That's very interesting, Niall." she was writing like crazy. "Why do you think that?" 

"Well, it feels like I'm dreaming. But I can control myself. And I can see myself sleeping! And there's this kid, his name is Louis. He's there too and we talked about it briefly and he's actually the one who told me about it. I didn't know what was happening I was really freaked out, like I've never been to the afterlife before? I was alive there, not dead obviously. I think Louis is dead. He got mad at me when I asked about it though. Anyway it's a version of my bedroom, but it's in the afterlife, it's really cool! Time passes just like it does when I'm awake and the best part about it is my physical body doesn't have nightmares!" 

Lil was struggling to jot down notes as fast as Niall was rambling on, his words were getting faster and more excited with every sentence. When he'd finally stopped talking he realized he was standing by the edge of Dr. Lillans desk, hands gripping the side tightly. It felt good to be able to tell someone else about Louis. Though he left out the part about wanting to see him in the shower.

"Sorry." He muttered and returned to his seat. He was irritated with Lil's lack of excitement for him, this was the biggest news of his life, and she looked more worried than excited.

They sat in silence for a long time before she looked up at him again. 

"Has anyone ever warned you about schizophrenia being a possible side effect from any medication you've taken?" She asked slowly. "Because if that's the case, I think you will find that these, out of body experiences you're having, aren't exactly, real, Niall. But instead are coming from a chemical imbalance in your brain caused by the long term effects of mixing certain medications."

He had the 'stomach-in-his-ass' feeling again. "You think I'm crazy." 

"No, Niall I don't. These types of things are-"

"You think I'm crazy!" he said again, standing up from his chair. "I pour my heart out to you and you tell me I'm crazy. Well listen up Dr. Lillian. I can assure you this will be the last time you ever see me in this office again. Something amazing is happening to me and you have the audacity to sit there and tell me I'm schizophrenic because I'm happy?" He slammed a fist down on her desk. "Fuck you." 

Before he realized what had happened Niall was running out of her office, tears pouring down his face. He reminded himself of a distraught Mr. O'Donnell he had seen in the exact same situation less than an hour ago. Poor guy. She'd probably told him he was crazy too. Niall pushed pass the other patients in the waiting room, making his way toward the stairs. Dr. Lillian was calling out after him but her words were drowned out by the sound of his own heavy breathing muffled between chest aching sobs.

Niall shoved open the main doors to the building, and collapsed on his ass as soon as he got outside. If he cried any harder he felt like he might pass out. He gathered up what was left of his dignity and composed himself as best he could. He'd rather be a sobbing mess in the privacy of his bedroom and not in the middle of downtown. His head was pounding and his vision still blurry by the time his mum pulled their mini van up to the bottom of the steps and he climbed in. He assumed Dr. Lillian had already told her about his episode, because it was an unusually quiet ride home.

 

****

Niall lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling and replaying the events from the therapists office over and over again in his head. Louis was mad at him, surely his mother was too after the way he talked to Dr. Lillian. He felt like an idiot. 

As per his request, nobody had bothered him for most of the night. His mother asked if he wanted dinner, but after he'd refused, she hadn't returned. Some hours later there was a soft knock on his bedroom door, and Greg peaked his head in. Niall pretended to be asleep.

"I know your having a shitty time right now, kid." He spoke softly. "But just remember that you need these people. Mom, your doctor, your friend. (Louis. Lil must've said something about Louis, he thought. Confidential my ass) It'll do no use to stay mad at them. Mend your bridges before they're damaged beyond repair. Love you." The door shut softly.

As far as Niall was concerned that was the most useful piece of advice he'd heard all day. There wasn't much he could do about Dr. Lillian now, his mum was probably asleep already, so he figured he should start with Louis. Niall pulled the blanket up and tucked it underneath his chin. His eyes slowly fluttered shut and he let his mind relax as he thought of all the things he should say to Louis when he saw him.


	3. I'll Be Coming Back For you

Once again, Niall woke up at precisely 5:09. He rubbed his eyes and propped himself up, back against his headboard. He looked around for Louis. who was nowhere to be seen.

"Louis" Niall called softly. "Louis, I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me." Nothing. Maybe he wasn't projecting tonight? Niall stood up and dashed over to the other side of his bedroom. But there he was, still sound asleep on his bed, looking content as ever. 

"So you're ignoring me then?" he continued. "Look you can be mad all you want, but you came to me. You can't blame me for being scared, I'm sure you would be to if-"

A sharp voice cut him off. "God you talk a lot." It was Louis, sitting on the edge of his bed, ankles crossed, hands in lap. 

"When did you get there?" Niall asked, surprised. "I didn't even see you." 

"I've been here the whole time." Louis replied, standing up. "No shit you didn't see me, that's the point. I didn't want you to. But you give a pretty convincing, and slightly annoying, apology. So here I am." he extended his arms and pointed back at himself. Louis couldn't stay mad at Niall, he looked so innocent standing there, playing with his hands and trying to act brave. He shot a smile in Nialls direction.

Niall was just as taken aback as he was the first time he'd seen Louis. He was the kind of beautiful you never get used to looking at. "I'm sorry." he muttered again.

"No need to apologize." There was an awkward silence. Louis looked down at the ground and wiggled his toes in his socks. "You've got big feet." he said to Niall.

"You're just little." he replied. Niall wasn't sure how to play it with Louis. He felt as though he was walking on eggshells, unsure of what was alright to say, and what would be crossing a line. But Louis just laughed. 

"I may be little, but I sure scared shit out of you last night, didn't I?" Niall rolled his eyes. Watching himself sleep was freaking him out a little, so he grabbed a blanket from the closet and covered his sleeping body. 

"I have to ask," Niall started, taking a seat in his desk chair. "Did you live here before I did?" 

Louis stiffened up. He figured he owed Niall a few answers though. After all, showing up in his room in the middle of the night was a little offside. 

"Yeah, I did. This was my room." Louis said, sitting down cross legged a few feet from Niall. Niall shot a look at the closet. "What's Google?" the small boy asked. Niall laughed a little. Louis had died almost 10 years before Google had been created, so he cut him a little slack. 

"It's a search engine on the internet. It knows everything. You can type anything in and it'll tell you all about it."

"You Googled me?" Louis asked. He almost felt flattered. A small smile crept to his lips, but it was slowly erased when he imagined what Niall would've found upon doing so. 

"I did." Niall replied. "That's how I knew you were, you know -" 

"Yeah." Louis interrupted. He seemed to do that a lot. Niall recalled Louis telling him that he had only seen one person undergo astral projection before, and before he could think of a safe way to word it, the question was coming out. 

"You've seen another like me. Who?" 

Louis chuckled softly to himself. "Me." 

Niall was in disbelief. "Are you doing it right now?" 

Louis stood up. "No, you idiot. I'm dead. You said so yourself. I'm a ghost." he turned away.

"Please don't get mad again. I'm sorry, that was stupid." He couldn't believe that he had so much in common with this boy he had met only two nights ago. It seemed like even though they were from two different worlds, they weren't so different after all. Louis said nothing.

"Lou?" he stood up and walked over to where Louis was standing, back turned, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

Louis's stomach erupted into a frenzy of butterflies, he smiled fondly. "It's alright." he said, turning to face Niall. 

Being this close to Louis gave Niall a whole new appreciation for his features. Freckles danced lightly across his nose, and his lips, thin and pink looked deliciously tempting. But it was something else that ultimately caught Nialls attention. Wrapped around his neck was a raised scar that was a few shades darker than his skin. From the rope, he thought to himself. Niall raised a hand and slowly brought it to Louis' neck, caressing the outline of the damaged skin so gently, he could barely feel it under his fingers. Louis looked away.

"Does it hurt?" Niall asked quietly. Louis shook his head no. He traced his finger from one side to the other, watching carefully at how Louis was reacting the entire time. He didn't seem to mind. He hardly realized what he was doing before he tilted Louis's head to the side, and planted a gentle kiss on the left side of his neck. Niall pulled away slowly and met Louis's gaze as he lifted his head back up. Niall frowned softly.

"Why?" he asked. 

"I was in love." Louis replied. "Long ago. I thought this would better things, but it didn't."

"You killed yourself because someone didn't love you?" Niall asked, stupidly. He was kicking himself on the inside. What a rude thing to say. 

Louis smiled. "No. I killed myself because someone DID love me." A confused look took Nialls face. Louis pulled Nialls hands into his own and looked into his eyes. "One day, I'll tell you the story. But not tonight, okay? I don't want to ruin your little moment." He smirked. 

Niall rolled his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about. You're the one holding MY hands." 

"Do you always kiss strange ghost boys that show up in your bedroom?" Louis teased.

"Only if they're sickeningly adorable and have a fiery temper." He backed away from Louis and sat cross legged on the floor.

Louis shot an all-to-sweet smile at Niall and joined him on the floor. Niall wished he could stay here forever. He loved telling Louis all about Derby and the stupid Romeo and Juliet paper he had to write for English class, and Louis loved listening to Niall talk all the same. He decided he could listen to Niall ramble on about little things forever. 

"Your voice might just be my new favourite sound." he said sweetly.

****

When Niall awoke, the clock read 10:02. He hadn't even noticed he'd fallen asleep. He looked around his room, hoping to see Louis, but as per usual nothing. He was about to make his way to the washroom for a shower, when a piece of paper laying on his desk caught his eye. 

"Have a good day, Nialler! Do lots of exciting things today so you're full of stories for later. From, your star crossed lover, Louis x" was what it read. This time Niall was the one with a stomach full of butterflies. He'd never felt more rested in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> These are the first two chapters of a potentially multi-chaptered story! If you like it and think I should keep up with it, let me know and I'd be happy to :)


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